Worship goes deeper than hymns and recitations. Prayer is more than us talking to God. This adult group study serves as a critical reminder that prayer and worship and stewardship can be more than opportunities to connect with God; they can be encounters with God. Through DVD segments, Scripture, helpful quotations, and space for journaling you’ll take a close look at the six, basic characteristics of God and the corresponding characteristics we should develop in response. You’ll discover how your connection with God can become an encounter with God—and that’s when your life will really change.

This six-session study is designed for small group use with the Participant Book and Leader Guide. Each weekly session can be streamed or you can purchase the DVD that includes all six video sessions. The goal of this week’s session titled "God’s Graciousness and My Love of Others" is to consider how God’s abundant grace can free us to love others. This grace is freely given by a loving and holy God and is based not upon our own merit or favor but simply on God’s abundant generosity in bestowing it upon us. The video uses a prison to illustrate that our lives often are bound by the burdens of sin and feelings of anger, frustration, or hurt. Receiving God’s grace and experiencing God’s graciousness are essential to our freedom from traits that make us unholy. As we encounter God’s holiness through grace, we often find that God’s graciousness toward us leads to our greater love and grace for others. Not only are we set free from our burdens, but in turn we are able to bless others with the same grace God has extended to us. The holy God entrusts us with grace to reflect the Kingdom here on earth. This is session six of a six part series.